1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to hand-held portable electronic devices, and in particular but not exclusively, relates to a control wheel for a hand-held portable computer that is usable for navigation and selection.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern desktop computers provide users with user-input mechanisms that are well suited for the applications that run on these computers. For example, desktop computers often use a mouse that allows the user to conveniently navigate through menus, panes, and features of an application, as well as allowing navigation between applications and selection of various choices (usually via a “point and click” or a “click and drag”) within a given application. Moreover, applications usually provide complex, yet convenient, graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that are designed to work in conjunction with the point and click features of a mouse or with particular keys on a keyboard of a desktop computer.
The nature of a desktop computer makes them ideal for using user-input devices such as a mouse and/or keyboard. There is usually sufficient desktop space or keyboard size to allow the user to easily navigate through an application or to select from various choices, without having to struggle with dexterity issues and awkward positioning. However, with laptop computers, a common complaint from users is that the keyboard is too small or that the mouse is difficult to control. The user has to “crowd” his fingers in order to properly use and select the appropriate keys on the keyboard, and has to use a mouse that is more difficult to use because it is physically integrated within the keyboard, rather than being an attached peripheral that can be conveniently used at arm's length away from the keyboard.
While laptops do have these disadvantages, they are, for the most part, adequate in terms of navigation and selection controls (via the mouse and keyboard). However, with ultra-portable devices, such devices typically have a substantially smaller form factor than a laptop or desktop computer. Their keyboards are significantly smaller than normal laptops and desktop computers, with “tiny” keys on the keypad. The keypads are of such a small size that the user can typically use only one or two fingers at a time to perform typing. Moreover, these devices also have a correspondingly and significantly smaller display screen size.
A possible solution to these problems is to create applications that have GUIs or other features that are better suited for devices that have smaller form factors than conventional laptop or desktop computers. However, this is not an ideal solution since it would require software manufactures to develop two types of each application: an application usable for desktop/laptop computers and the same application usable for smaller devices. This additional software development is costly and would not necessarily benefit the consumer, since not all software applications can be expected to have versions that are usable for smaller devices and the user may be required to learn both applications.
Moreover, if a standard application is installed into small device, it is difficult, if not impossible, for the typical user to alter the application in order to make it user-friendlier for the small device. This is because the source code for the application is often a closely guarded secret by the software manufacturer and because most users are not well versed in software programming. Also, even if one application installed in the small device is modified to be more user friendly for that device, other applications installed or to be installed in the device may not be capable of similar modification—there is a scalability problem.